The “Ka Ho‘olina i Kakau ‘ia” Writing Contest honors Edwin “Uncle Ed” Lindsey II (1939-2009). The theme for the first year is “aloha.”

LAHAINA — Inspired by the life of Edwin “Uncle Ed” Lindsey II (1939-2009), the Lahaina News is sponsoring the first annual “Ka Ho‘olina i Kakau ‘ia” Writing Contest.

The competition is open to all West Side students in grades 6-8 and 9-12.

“Ka Ho‘olina i Kakau ‘ia” in English, roughly translated, means written legacy or the legacy that was written.

Uncle Ed, to the many privileged to have known him, lived a life guided by the Hawaiian values he learned from his kupuna — aloha, malama, lokahi, laulima, kuleana and kokua, to name a few — and he shared these attributes with all he encountered by example.

Each year, one of these qualities will be featured in the writing contest.

The theme of the first contest honors the value of aloha.

Uncle Ed’s son, Ed “Ekolu” Lindsey III, explained the reason why aloha comes first.

“ALOHA! What is aloha? Aloha is many things to many people. Often overused and misunderstood, aloha can literally be broken down to ‘Alo’ and ‘Ha.’ According to Mary Kawena Pukui and Samuel H. Elbert’s Hawaiian Dictionary, ‘Alo’ means front, face or presence. ‘Ha’ can be translated as to breathe upon or exhale. Therefore, the literal translation is to breathe upon one’s face.

“Aloha goes much deeper,” Ekolu added. “Aloha is who we are, how we feel and exemplifies our spirit. Of the many Hawaiian values, aloha provides the foundation from which other values flourish. Aloha is honesty, love and compassion.”

West Maui private and public school students, including home-schoolers, are invited to submit poems, stories, narratives, essays or haiku expressing their take on the theme.

The deadline to enter is May 1.

Copies of the rules will be available online this week at www.lahainanews.com; or e-mail Lahaina News Editor Mark Vieth at lahnews@maui.net for a copy.

Submissions will be judged on creativity, content and adherence to the theme.

Winning entries will be published in the Lahaina News.

All participants will receive a “Practice Aloha” bumper sticker from local author Mark Ellman of www.practicealoha.org.                    

In addition, prizes will be awarded to the first, second and third place winners in each category. A grand prize will be awarded for the submission best exemplifying the value of aloha, and a “Most Creative” prize will be given.

The Lahaina News is supported by generous donations from Randy and Jim Coon of Trilogy Excursions, Mark Ellman of Penne Pasta Cafe and Mala Ocean Tavern, George and Nancy Kahumoku of The Masters of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Concert Series, Jerry Kunitomo of Lahaina Pizza Company, Eden and Kevin McAfee of Kapalua Dive Company, Michael Moore of Old Lahaina Luau, Robin Ritchie, and Life Coach Kim Willis.

“Kevin and I would be thrilled to support this contest,” Eden McAfee commented when asked to contribute.

“The eighth grade Sacred Hearts students feel a very special connection with the Lindsey Family, and I am happy to give what I can to both honor the spirit of the man, as well as to promote creative writing in our schools,” McAfee added. 

Kunitomo agreed: “Good communication skills are critical to every facet of our lives. It becomes very evident those first few years in college, here and on the Mainland. Helping our kids through our small town paper? No brainer!”

“We are excited to involve West Maui students in the Lahaina News and honor a Lahaina cultural treasure in Ed Lindsey,” said Vieth.

For more information on the contest, visit www.lahainanews.com, e-mail lahnews@maui.net or call Vieth at 667-7866.